Method of processing hams

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for grading or sorting hams are provided. The hams are placed in a container of brine of a predetermined density with the fatter hams tending to float and the leaner ones tending to sink. Those near the surface of the brine in the container are sold with minimum or no trimming while those near the bottom are de-boned and the fat is removed for sale at a premium price. In the particular apparatus, the hams move along a trough containing the brine which is supplied at one location and removed from another for recirculation. A conveyor at one position in the trough removes the floating hams and a conveyor at another position removes the sunken hams.

15 3,653,918 451 Apr. 4, 1972 Wierbicki et al.....................99/l59X [54] METHOD OF PROCESSING HAMS [72] Inventor: Charles H. Wallace, 5960Flanders Road, Primary Examiner Hyman Lord Sylvama Ohm 43560Attorney-Allen D. Gutchess, Jr. Dcc.22, 1969 [22] Filed:

ABSTRACT 21 l 1 A method and apparatus for grading; or sorting hams arepro- Appl. No.:

vided. The hams are placed in a container of brine of a paratus, thehams move along a trough containing the brine References Cited which issupplied at one location and removed from another UNITED STATES PATENTSfor recirculation. A conveyor at one position in the trough removes thefloating hams and a conveyor at another position removes the sunkenhams.

209/173 ......209/173 Vucassovich 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 2,051,676Bloedom Kerr................ 2,542,382 2/1951 Patented April 4, 19723,653,918

2 Sheets$heet 2 EigA IFH/IZKTOR, 0/4/9155 H MAL/765 METHOD OF PROCESSINGHAMS This invention relates to a method and apparatus for grading orsorting hams or other large pieces of meat, the extent of the fat onwhich may vary from piece to piece.

Hams are commonly sold by packing houseseither substantially as they arecut from the animal or after they are deboned and the fat removed, andafter the usual pumping" and smokehouse processes, in either case.Economically, it is advantageous for the hams having the most fat to besold with minimum processing and trimming, with the leaner hams beingthe ones which are de-boned and from which the fat is removed. However,even the most experienced meat processor cannot reliably sort or graderelatively fat and relatively lean hams by a visual inspection.

In accordance with the invention, the hams are placed in brine or a saltsolution of a predetermined strength,.in which the fatter hams tend tofloat and the leaner hams tend to sink. The former hams are then removedforpackaging for sale with minimum trimming while the fat is removedfrom the latter hams and they usually are de-boned prior to furtherprocessing and packaging. After grading, all of the hams are pumped withbrine and are subjected to a Smokehouse treatment.

In a preferred form, the apparatus for grading the hams includes acontainer or trough for brine with branch troughs extending therefrom.Brine is supplied to one end of the trough and is withdrawn from theends of the branch troughs and recirculated by means of a pump. The flowof brine through the main and branch troughs carries the hamstherealong, whereby the brine acts as both a grading and a conveyingmedium. Baffles are provided in the main trough to direct the floatinghams into one of the branch troughs and the sunken hams into the otherbranch trough. Conveyors are located at the ends of the branch troughsto remove the hams therefrom for further processing.

The sunken hams, containing the least fat, are then deboned and the fatis removed prior to further processing and packaging. The floating hams,containing more fat, are processed with minimal or no trimming. Ofcourse, all of the hams are subjected to the usual pumping andsmokehouse treatments. 1

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide amethod and apparatus for grading hams to separate and sort the fatterand leaner ones for further processing.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall, somewhat schematic view in perspective of acontainer according to the invention for grading or sorting hams;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic view in longitudinal cross section takenthrough the container of FIG. 1;

FIGS is a somewhat schematic view in vertical cross section takenthrough an end of a branch trough of the container of FIG. 1 and showinga conveyor in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of modified bafflesincorporated with the branch troughs of the container of FIG. I;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the container of FIG. 1 with afurther modified upper baffle;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 6- 6 ofFlG.5; and

FIG. 7 is a somewhat schematic view in transverse cross section of amodified trough.

FIG. I shows one form of preferred apparatus for carrying out theinvention. Accordingly, a container or elongate receptacle indicated at10 contains salt solution or brine having a salimeter reading of apredetermined value, from 12-30, and preferably 15-25, as measured at 38F. A certain number of hams placed in the brine will tend to sink or beat a lower level while a certain number will tend to float or be at anupper level when left in the solution for a sufficient period. However,

the hams will not either float or sink so as to be at either the top ofthebrineor the bottom of the container but will be generally distributedthroughout the depth of the brine as they move along through thecontainer. Whether the hams tend to sink or float depends upon theirapparent density, which depends primarily upon the extent of the fatthereon. The rela- 'tive number of any given group of hams which willsink or float will also depend upon the strength of the brine, with morehams tending to float in brine with a higher salimeter reading. Liquidsother than:brine can beemployed although brine is preferred, beinginexpensive, readily available. and aiding in preserving the hams.

By way of example, assume that a packing house or processor is handling2,000 hamsa day and, of these, desires to sell 500 as semi-boneless withthe fat removed; 500 as boneless with the fat removed; and. 1,000 withthe bone in and substantially no fat removed. Under such circumstances,the brine in the container can be controlled to have a salimeter readingof 20 at 38 F. The lower 1,000 hams in the brine then serve as the 500boneless and 500 semi-boneless hams, all with fat removed. On anotherday, the processor may again handle 2,000 hams but wishes to package1,500 asboneless and with the fat removed, and 500 with the bone inandsubstantially no fat removed. In such an instance, he may controlthestrength of thebrine to have a salimeter reading of 15 at 38 F. The hamswill then tend to be at a lower level in the brine and the lower 1,500of the 2,000 hams will be de-boned and the fat removed. On still anotherday, the processor may desire to process 2,000 hams so as to package 500with the bone and fat removed and 1,500 with the bone in andsubstantially no fat removed. In that instance, the brine may be set ata salimeter reading of 25, in which instance the lower or leaner 500hams are processed to remove the bone and fat.

In all of these instances, the leanest hams are separated for thede-boning and fat removal process while the fattest hams are packagedwith minimum trimming. By enabling more efficient processing of the hamsto be achieved, a savings of about 3% cents per pound is attained. Withthe above figures, this savings can amount to over 1,000 dollars daily.

After the hams are graded, they are pumped full of brine and otheringredients to impart flavor and color. The fatter hams then receiveminimal or no trimming and are placed in stockings." The lean ones arede-boned and substantially all fat removed. They are then placed incellulose casings. The hams are then given the usual smokehousetreatment, in both cases.

Referring to the particular apparatus in the drawings, the container 10is mounted on a suitable supporting framework 12 and, in this instance,includes a main trough 14, a branch trough 16 for sunken hams, and abranch trough 18 for floating hams. Again, the terms sunken and floatingare relative as used herein and indicate hams in the lower portions ofthe brine and in the upper portions of the brine, respectively. The hamsare supplied to one end of the main trough 14 by a belt conveyor 20which carries the raw hams from the cutting line into the container. Thebrine therein is supplied at the one end of the main trough 14 by anozzle 22 and a supply line 24. The brine is recirculated from the endsof the branch troughs 16 and 18 through return lines 26 and 28 to thesupply line 24 by a pump 30 located under the container. Valves 32 and34 control the relative flow or recirculation rates of the brine fromthe respective troughs 16 and 18 The resulting flow of brine through thecontainer 10 aids in moving the hams therealong so that the brine servesboth to convey the harms and to grade or sort them as they reach a leveltherein indicative of their density and amount of fat. Some brine, ofcourse, will be carried off on the hams so that make-up brine isprovided through a line 36 having a valve 38 regulated by a levelcontrol float 40.

The branch trough 16 in this instance: is essentially an extension ofthe main trough 14. The trough 16 receives the sunken or lower levelhams, such as the two indicated at 42 and 44. These hams are carriedalong the main trough l4 and the branch trough 16 under an upper baffle46 which is shown as a mesh panel 48 extending diagonally across thetroughs between side walls thereof. To further aid in moving the lowerlevel hams through the branch trough 16, the exhaust or return line 26communicates with the end of the branch trough 16 at a lower portionthereof. When the hams 42 and 44 reach a point near the end of thetrough 16, they are engaged by a suitable conveyor and removed from thecontainer for further processing. As shown, a conveyor 50 has a meshbelt 52 carrying transverse slats 54 to remove the sunken hams, the beltbeing driven by a motor shown schematically at 56 at the upper end. Thelower end of the belt 52 extends into a recess or pocket 58 (FIG. 3)formed by a box structure 60. The hams from the conveyor 50 are droppedonto a chute 62 from which they slide onto a processing conveyor (notshown). These hams can then be de-boned and substantially all of the fatremoved to enable the hams to be sold at premium prices. Of course, allof the hams are subjected to the usual pumping and Smokehouse processes,whether trimmed or not. Since the hams at the lower level are leaner,there is less fat to be removed; consequently, there is less material tobe cut off and wasted or sold at minimal prices.

A lower baffle 64 is disposed 'parallelly to the direction of movementof the hams in the main trough 14 and is located across the entrance tothe branch trough 18 where it communicates with the main trough. Thelower baffle 64 directs the sunken hams, such as the hams 42 and 44, tothe branch trough 16. However, floating hams or those at the 'upperlevel of the brine, such as hams 66 and 68, float over the lower baffle64 and move into the branch trough 18 under the influence of the brinecurrent. The return line 28 for the trough 18 is located at the upperlevel thereof to further influence movement of the floating hams. Mostof the floating hams 66 and 68, however, will move into contact with theupper baffle 46 which is located diagonally to the path of the hams inthe main trough 14 with the upper baffle then directing the floatinghams into the branch trough 18.

The hams moving into the branch trough 18 are removed from the brine bya suitable conveyor 70 which is illustrated as a belt-type, similar tothe conveyor 50. The hams removed on the conveyor 70 are subsequentlygiven minimal or no trimming.

In place of, or as a supplement to, varying the strength of the brine toregulate the separation of the leaner and fatter hams according toimmediate commercial needs, the upper and lower baffles can bevertically adjusted to achieve a similar effect. Accordingly, an upperbaffle 72 is located in the same position as the baffle 46 but ismounted in grooves 74 at the sides of the container so as to be moved upand down relative thereto to thereby vary the number of hams interceptedand directed into the trough 18. Set screws or other suitable means (notshown) can be used to hold the baffle at any given position.

A lower baffle 76 is mounted for vertical adjustment in grooves 78 ofside brackets 80 with the lower edge of the movable baflle 76overlapping an upper edge of a stationary bottom baffle 82. The baffle76 thereby can be raised and lowered, or removed altogether, to vary thenumber of the sunken hams which are directed into the trough 16.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a modified upper baffle 84 is shown in placeof the bafile 46 or- 72. The bafile 84 includes a mesh belt 86 extendingbetween side rollers 88 and 90 having shafts 92 and 94 rotatably mountedon side brackets 96, 98, and 100, 102. The shaft 94 is driven throughpulleys 104 and 106 and a belt 108 by a motor 110. The shafts 92 and 94preferably can be vertically adjusted in the brackets 96-102 to adjustthe mesh belt 86 vertically. The belt is driven in the direction of thearrows in FIG. 5 so that hams coming in contact therewith are movedtherealong into the trough 1.8.

In some instances, there is a tendency for foam to be produced on thebrine which apparently is a reaction of the fat of the ham and certainingredients in the brine. This is particularly true if ingredients areadded to the brine to enhance the color of the hams therein. To removethe foam, a modified trough or container 112 can be used in place of thetroughs 1418. The trough 112 has a side trough 114 located approximatelyat the level of the brine in trough 112 so that foam thereon floats intothe side trough 114 and can be removed through a suitable drain at oneend of the trough.

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to beunderstood that such modifications can be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenorof the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A method of processing hams which may vary in apparent density, saidmethod comprising placing the hams in one portion of an elongatedtreating zone containing salt solution having a salimeter reading of12-30 at 38 F., supplying the salt solution to said zone near oneportion thereof and removing salt solution from another portion of saidzone whereby said salt solution acts as a conveying medium to move saidhams along said zone, removing sunken hams from the salt solution at alocation spaced from said one portion of said zone, at least partiallydeboning and removing the fat from the latter hams, packaging thedeboned and defatted hams, removing hams tending to float from the saltsolution at a location spaced from said one portion of said zone, andpackaging these hams without removing the bone or most of the fattherefrom.

2. A method according to claim 1 characterized further by withdrawingsalt solution from said zone at a location spaced from said one portionand recirculating the withdrawn salt solution back to said zone at alocation near said one portion.

2. A method according to claim 1 characterized further by withdrawingsalt solution from said zone at a location spaced from said one portionand recirculating the withdrawn salt solution back to said zone at alocation near said one portion.